Hi All, Below is a series of short letters which led to the
successfulrepair of an Aeolian Musette via the Internet.

A woman writes:

I live on the Oregon coast and don't have access to a piano
tuner/repairman - my piano seems to be "stuck" in reverse. Is this
fairlysimple to repair? or? more info?

I answer:

Fairly common problem in units that aren't maintained on
a regularbasis. Most likely, the pinion gear inside of the transmission
hasbecome disengaged from the shifter arm. I know that sounds
like Greek,so I've made up a simple picture to guide you.

Open the top of the instrument and locate the transmission,
which is onthe right hand side of the spool box. Move the Play/Reroll
lever backand forth and watch what happens inside of the transmission.
The longarm that moves right and left is the shifter arm. The small
brass gearin the middle of the transmission is the pinion gear. On
the back sideof the shifter arm is a small pin which must be positioned such
that it'rides' inside the 1/8" channel on the pinion gear.

To position it correctly, gently pull the shifter arm towards
you andmove it so that the pin on the backside of the shifter arm goes
intothe groove on the pinion gear. Then, to help prevent the
problem fromoccurring again, tighten the screw, (with the spring underneath
it) thatholds the shifter arm to the transmission. Do not tighten
it more than1/2 turn.

In closing, this problem can happen if the Play/Reroll lever
isaggressively moved from Reroll to Play.

Her reply:

Hey - thanks - got it fixed - works great - really missed
it! :)

My closing reply:

Super! Glad to have been able to help. Now you'll
need some newrolls to enjoy. You can save up to 20% off the QRS list price.
See: